Progen
The Ritual of Progen. The free-Shemarrians, now building their own culture on top of their 'false' history, have found one thing missing that they can not do, but that their biological neighbours can. Procreate and pass on their legacy. The Ecotroz have managed to give the now independant Shemar a form of continuity, but for some it is not enough. To try and attempt 'mating' is absurd, even though Parriah & male hunters varients have been given "life-like" attributes, it is only facade and artifice. No issue can be created. The Ecotroz 'illuminated' Spinsters may have solved this problem. Recently, one of the 'little sisters' found an abandoned robotics plant of alien origin (GM note; NOT Mechanoid), with nano-tech assembly vats and neruo-impulse transference devices. Putting 2 & 2 together, the Ecotroz Spinster proceeded to check out the viability of the systems. All green though inactive. ...3 months later. Y'llen Stormeyes mistress of the firelance and Urrjal Minon-Slayer, two of the most reknowned and adaptable of the Shemar Ne'Ectroz knelt together face to face, their ceramonial head-dresses to one side and antenae entwined. To their left was the Sister-Healer 'Goodbones', who was finishing the last adjustment to the Maker. The device, sent to them by divine providence hummed just below human perecption, and even their inhuman hearing could barely make out the noise. It was more felt than heard. Goodbones delicately threaded the last of the glowing fibers from her two sisters' temples to the machine. 'Now, let's hope that this isn't going to wipe their matracies' thought the Ectroz medic. The Warmistress, Shemharsahd Firemane finsihed the last lines of the newly pend ritual prayer and nodded to Goodbones to begin. Both warriors juddered as the filiments conecting them to each other and the machine blazed with actinic light. Ozone and other less identifiable oders filled the chamber and as suddenly as it started...the light and sound stopped. Y'llen and Urjall smiled sheepishly at each other for a brieft instant before wearing their stoic expression again, as befitted Shemar warriors. Goodbones dusted her hands off and effciently removed the filiments. "Now my sisters, we must wait to see if your bond was stong and pure enough for the Maker to complete the ritual of Progen." The other sisters of the Hawkmoon who could attened the ceremony raised their right fists and slammed them to left breast three times intoning; "She-Mar-Ra! She-Mar-Ra! She-Mar-Ra!" A week later, Spinster Goodbones roused herself from dreamtime at the sibbilant hiss of escaping gas and vapour comming from the Maker. The matte-grey oval device had split into three segements and folded down to the floor like orchid petals. Standing in the center was a nude, mist-covered form; humanoid, with pale skin, shoulder length hair a blend of Y'llen's blue-white and Urjall's blond. The newly made Shemar opened her eyes onto the world, the faint glow of her Ectroz soul spilling forth for a few moments. Goodbones stood up, her uneven legs making this a chore for even her inhuman skelleton. "So young one, got a name for yourself have you? Or do we need to school you with the Ne'Shemar?" The newborn (though her body was that of a 'mature' Shemar, as all battle sisters were) shook her head. "No little sister. I do not need to be with the un-enlightened. My mothers have given me their memories and my name." "So..what are you to be called then youngling?" Looking at Goodbones, the first Shemar to be 'born' of two others, smiled. "They called me Hope Brightlance..." Advanced Cultural Notes: The Ecotroz-Shemar and the Ritual of Progen “Yeah, right! One of those Shemar amazons took a liking to you? Stalked you down the length of the Eastern Seaboard just to dance the horizontal mambo with you? Vince, those Shemarrian chicks are BABES, even in all that armor! You? You look like a three car pileup that sprouted legs! I think you better check your life support regulators, ‘cause I don’t think you’re getting enough oxygen flow to your brain! Or maybe that last battle rattled something loose in your skull-casing! Next thing you’re going to tell me, your dream-chickie is going to come to you wanting to have your kids, in spite of you having no gonads left!” Since the introduction of the Progen technology that has allowed the Ecotroz-Shemar to add to their numbers, the personal lives of the Ecotroz Shemar have bloomed in unexpected ways. While the Ecotroz can exhibit love among themselves and others, and even participate in recreational ‘sex’, both through physical contact, direct mind-to-mind interface, and virtual reality simulation, it is only through super-science procedures like Progen that reproduction with continuity is possible. Because of the nature of the Progen technology, it is possible for various combinations to take place. Typically it is female Shemar who undertake the bond of Progen. Although Spinster pairings, Female/Male and Male/Male combinations are all possible. Ecotroz-Shemar/NeShemar pairings (treat according to gender pairing), and even the rare outsider (including full conversion cyborgs) are possible. If an outsider is considered worthy of being a mate in the ritual of Progen, and are not adapted into the clan as a NeShemar, they are sworn to secrecy about the ritual (and more often than not mind wiped). This has allowed the Shemar to increase their numbers independent of conversion, and has also allowed them to bring in ‘new blood’ more effectively. In the post Civil War era, and especially in the Three Galaxies, the chances of NeShemar and outsider pairings are slowly becoming more common, at least NeShemar pairings. With the creation of new elites, the pairings can create even more diversity. Progen Post Civil War/Three Galaxies And Expanded “Well, you’ve both been cleared for this, so I’m allowed to give you a tour of this Mystery, the Progen Chamber. I must say, I’m rather impressed that you had both the War Goddesses and the Shamanesses sponsor you, so I’m to accord you full cooperation. Step this way and I’ll give you the basic rundown on what is core to the continuation of our peoples. Here we have what is variously called the Scan Chamber, the Sampler, the Love Shrine, the Whumpa Room, the Sanctum Progenus. It’s where the Progen Chamber scans the prospective parents to select what characteristics will go into the child. It’s rather cozy, isn’t it? Some parents simply link their minds and share a virtuality together while the Chamber scans them. Others feel the need to engage in actual physical coitus in there. Mind you, I can’t name names, but I’ve seen Bloodriders go in and simply spend the time meditating quietly holding hands with each other, while I’ve also seen Silvermoons go in with stim-jazzers, a flagon of methanol, lubricating oil, jumper cables, cargo shackles and a glockenspiel. Don’t worry, though, we THOROUGHLY clean the chamber and change its furnishings between assignments. Anyways, the Scan does exactly that; it does a deep read of the characteristics, both physical and mental, of both parents-to-be. It generates a truly impressive amount of data, so much that even we who oversee its operation are regularly impressed by the vast amount of information that is so quickly compiled. Ah, no, the system readily deletes what it scans once it has selected what it needs...we don’t see the particulars of individuals, so there’s no danger of the apparatus reading a person’s thoughts and making them accessible to anybody outside the chamber. It’s like seeing a river flow without seeing the individual water molecules. We’re not entirely sure of how the Progen Chamber does what it does, anymore than organics are entirely sure of how DNA selects for certain traits and not others. It’s part of the Great Mystery, and what makes children created through Progen all the more miraculous. See, the Chamber takes its scans and runs the data through a series of selection algorithms and then a randomizer, and comes up with a sort of ‘DNA program’, a schematic of the finished product. This takes place in what we call the Compiler Node. Over here is where the Chamber programs the nanites and assemblers with the DNA program and creates the progeny. The ‘seed’ so produced is then nurtured and allowed to grow to young maturity in these chambers. One to two weeks later, and we have a new addition to the community of sentients! So, Mister and Missuz Mizuhara, any questions? When can you use it? Why--? Ah, I see. That explains the letters of sponsorship. You’ll have our full cooperation in this endeavor. Whenever you’re ready. Uhm...you might want to give us a few minutes to warm up the apparatus before you do that...And I’ll want to alert housekeeping; you might want those laundered while you’re.... No, no, it’s okay! No need to apologize! I know what it’s like to be wildly, passionately, insanely in love and eager to start a family....” Progen technology is based on alien technology acquired by the Ecotroz Shemar during their Civil War with the Dark One and the Shaper. While the EShemar have even to this day been unable to determine exactly how the alien technology works on all levels, they were able to duplicate it and adapt it to their purposes. Even the Shemarrian Star Nation Shemar have no idea where the technology originated from, and their allies, such as the Shaemarians, cannot shed any more light on who originally developed it. Progen technology is largely regarded by the EShemar as being of divine origin, an obvious gift from their Goddess, the timing of its discovery no coincidence, as it allowed the EShemar to further liberate themselves from slavery. (For their part, the Ghost Rider Tribe uses Progen technology only sparingly; they do not entirely trust the alien technology of Progen and will not trust their future progeny to a technology they do not completely understand. Instead, they rely on a cruder, but wholly home-brewed, version of Progen’s randomizer functions to inject an element of variety into their reproduction.) Progen consists of three stages: Scanning/Conception, Compiling/Optimization, and Seeding/Gestation. Scanning/Conception Both parents submit themselves for a mutual multimedia scanning, while both are linked neurologically/psionically to each other and to the Progen machinery. Some prospective parents use the opportunity to meditate on the step into parenthood they are taking, while others choose to combine the moment with the initiation of virtual or actual coitus. The Progen apparatus does a thorough physical and mental scan that generally takes a hour to complete. Compiling/Optimization Compiling and optimization then takes place, the Progen apparatus compiling the two sets of parental data, then choosing a randomization routine that selects aspects of both and combining them in an evolving design template that is finalized and downloaded to a nanofactory ‘birthing cell’, the process taking anywhere from five minutes to another hour to complete. Seeding/Gestation The ‘seed’ template is programmed into the Progen nanites and injected into a nanite growth medium which begins assembling the final product. ‘Construction’ takes about one to two weeks, at the end of which a fully physically mature and mentally active offspring emerges from the birthing cell matrix. Some prospective parents claim that even after the Scanning, they can sense a ‘link’ to the growing consciousness during the time between the Seeding and final Birthing. Some Shemarrians see the Progen recombinations as a means of testing the staying power of various Upgrade-created Elites by seeing if they breed true. Occasionally, the random aspect of the Progen ritual produces wholly new Elites(as in the case of the Celestials). Progen Process Progen selection doesn’t work QUITE like traditional genetics (some have said it more resembles Lysenkoism) in that attributes acquired in the course of life can actually be passed on to the offspring. This makes the process even more mysterious and potential-fraught. Side Effects Most Progen reproductions are born fully formed and functional, with only their elective skills undeveloped. Most progeny will step from the birthing cell fully formed, appearing as young adults (most elect to artificially age their appearance as they gain in status and maturity, and certain Upgrades add mass to a Shemarrian). However, some progeny, especially those born to mixed Shemarrian/organic couples, may emerge from the birthing cell in an immature, ‘unfinished’ state. These children emerge typically half to a third of their ‘mature’ size, with only 50% of their MDC, P.S., and Speed, and appear to be preteens. Their innate programming is also at HALF proficiency. These offspring gain their mature mass and MDC through normal maturation and consumption of MDC materials, gaining 1d4x10 MD every six months (force-feeding does not accelerate this process). Similarly, their skills gain 5% per year until they reach their ‘adult’ MDC numbers. However, in addition to their normal neural intelligence ‘elective’ or ‘secondary’ skills, such ‘slow beginners’ can select an additional 1d6 skills, as a result of their extended childhood. The chance of a ‘slow birth’ is 10% for Shemarrians/Bionic Non-Shemarrians-NeShemar, and 20% for Shemarrians/organics or Bionics/Organics. The more aggressive and conservative EShemar regard these births as unnecessary risks (as the children are vulnerable and not fully functional for a period of time) and reason to avoid Progen with organics in order to keep the Tribes strong at all times. Such children may also face hazing from their Shemar siblings. However, for the most part, the general attitude towards these offspring is ‘as the Goddess wills it’ amongst most EShemar. Attributes These are the base attributes (I.Q., M.E., M.A., P.S., Speed, etc.) that are core to offspring. Abilities This is defined as what special abilities or features beyond the basic attributes the progeny may have ‘inherited’ from the parents. This includes bionic/robotic features integral to the parents, such as a tail, prehensile tentacle appendage, or panoramic eyes, in one parent but not the other, but does NOT include accessory systems like shoulder-mounted laser cannon or a detachable jet pack system. This category also includes psionic or paranormal powers (like magic aptitude). GMs may roll on each relevant feature. Appearance This determines what the offspring looks like. The Progen ritual always produces recognizably humanoid offspring, but within that definition appearances can vary widely. GMs may elect to roll separately for each feature (hair color/shape, eye color/shape, skin color, ear shape, etc.) or just make a general appearance roll. Skills/Programming This determines what skills the offspring may have inherited. Note Played straight, the Progen Chamber can readily produce some frightening and unbalanced combos; it’s like the Shemarrian equivalent of a Genesis Pit, full of wonder AND terror. Fortunately, there is the constraint of both parents having to be able to fit inside the scanning/conception chamber, so truly monstrous combos like crossbreeding Shemarrians and AI-equipped Triax Devastators, for instance, are out of the question, and nobody’s yet figured out how to scale up the chamber. Still, GMs should use their discretion in the event some love match should produce the equivalent of Mechazilla Random Generation Shemarrian/Shemarrian Attributes If both parents are of the same class/caste then the offspring will start out with the same basic stats set as for that class/caste. If the child is of mixed class parentage (a Warrior and a Spinster, an Elite and an Acolite, etc.), then the child will be born with the physical stats inherent to the body form of the parent it most takes after (use same parent used in first roll to determine type born, or use the parent used in Abilities. If rolled one of both or none for abilities, use stats of randomly determined parent). Abilities Appearance Skills/Programming If both parents are of the same class/caste then the offspring will start out with the same basic skill set as for that class/caste. If the child is of mixed class parentage (a Warrior and a Spinster, an Elite and an Acolite, etc.), then the child will be born with the programming inherent to the body form of the parent it most takes after. It may then select any elective skills available to it as normal. Shemarrian+Cyborg (Full or Partial) Ecotroz-Shemar/NeShemar Treat according to gender pairing for the percentage of gender/general class of progeny Cyborgs have the added feature that they have TWO sets of variables scanned by the Progen Chamber; their cyborg bodies, and their original organic body components. Both sets of characteristics have a chance of being represented in the resultant offspring. Attributes (Roll for each attribute) Abilities Pre-Cyborg Parent Minor/Mundane abilities, like an inherent but exceptional trait (like exceptional reflexes, if they’re better than the Shemarrian parent’s) or Incredible Luck, can thus be represented/passed on to the child. Magic and Psionics requires further consideration with regards to the physical specs of the offspring; if the Progen offspring inherits the non-Shemarrian parent’s propensity/potential for magic, but not any sort of PPE reservoir/reserve, the progeny may have to be Upgraded with PPE sources in order to make use of those spells. Typically the offspring can choose 1d6 of the mage-parent’s spells, all at a first level of proficiency. Psionics are similar; the child can choose 1d6 of the psychic-parent’s psionic abilities, all at a first level of proficiency, and rolls as standard for psionic class and ISP reserves. Wild Card It’s rare, but it’s been known to happen; POTENTIALS combine and express themselves in the child. These potentials can be just about anything the GM wants (or allows), such as Angelic/Demonic traits from some ancient ancestor, superpowers, super psionics, or the like. Or, they could be disfiguring birth defects (requiring later extensive correction). Wild card draw. Appearance Skills/Programming Shemarrian +A.I. (other intelligent robot, including Transferred Intelligences) Treat according to gender pairing(PERCEIVED gender in the case of the AI; if the gender-image is neutral/androgynous, treat as being Female) for the percentage of gender of progeny. Attributes (Roll for each attribute) Abilities Appearance Skills/Programming Shemarrian +Organic (limited to a maximum of 4 cybernetic implants) Treat according to gender pairing for the percentage of gender of progeny Attributes: (Roll for each attribute) Abilities: Wild Card It’s rare, but it’s been known to happen; POTENTIALS combine and express themselves in the child. These potentials can be just about anything the GM wants (or allows), such as Angelic/Demonic traits from some ancient ancestor, superpowers, super psionics, or the like. Or, they could be disfiguring birth defects (requiring later extensive correction). Wild card draw. Appearance: Skills/Programming: (Cyborg )Organic+Organic (limited to a maximum of 4 cybernetic implants) It’s rare, but sometimes cyborgized NeShemar(honorary or adoptee) are allowed access to Progen to mate with wholly organic mates. The process treats the cyborg(full or partial) like a Shemarrian with regards to attribute, ability, and appearance selection. In the absence of hard-programmed skills, however, the system breaks down and the results are much more scattershot. The offspring is almost always born a cyborg of unusually sophisticated bio-systems, and is born similar to an ‘unfinished’ Shemarrian birth, typically half to a third of their ‘mature’ size, with only 50% of their MDC, P.S., and Speed, and appear to be preteens(or younger), and mature as normal for an organic child(no accelerated aging/development). Treat according to gender pairing for the percentage of gender of progeny Attributes: (Roll for each attribute) Abilities: Wild Card It’s rare, but it’s been known to happen; POTENTIALS combine and express themselves in the child. These potentials can be just about anything the GM wants(or allows), such as Angelic/Demonic traits from some ancient ancestor, superpowers, super psionics, or the like. Or, they could be disfiguring birth defects(requiring later extensive correction). Wild card draw. Appearance: Skills/Programming (Cyborg) Organic + (Cyborg) Organic Again, this is rare, but more common than one might think, especially among NeShemar, who are almost all cyborgs. The offspring is almost always born a cyborg of unusually sophisticated bio-systems, and is born similar to an ‘unfinished’ Shemarrian birth, typically half to a third of their ‘mature’ size, with only 50% of their MDC, P.S., and Speed, and appear to be preteens(or younger), and mature as normal for an organic child(no accelerated aging/development). Treat according to gender pairing for the percentage of gender of progeny. Attributes: (Roll for each attribute) In all cases Superhuman abilities like Strength and Speed will be at 25% of normal (and will be coached in normal human terms; no Robotic Strength babies) until the child reaches their teens/puberty, at which point it will increase at 20% per year until maturity (still, cyber-tyke’s going to be a handful). Abilities: Wild Card It’s rare, but it’s been known to happen; POTENTIALS combine and express themselves in the child. These potentials can be just about anything the GM wants(or allows), such as Angelic/Demonic traits from some ancient ancestor, superpowers, super psionics, or the like. Or, they could be disfiguring birth defects(requiring later extensive correction). Wild card draw. Appearance: Skills/Programming: Organic+Organic The Progen procedure does NOT work with organics and organics. One of the two participants MUST be cybernetic/bionic/robotic in nature. TelePregnancies Entirely an elective procedure, one or both parents, immediately after conception of their Progen offspring, may elect to take special feedback implants that allow them to ‘feel’ the progress of their gestating offspring as a means of establishing the parental bond early. However, note that Progen offspring develop VERY fast, so for those without the ability to alter their temporal perception, the psychosomatic feedback feelings from an offspring being rapid-gestated from molecular ‘zygote’ to nearly full-grown ‘young adult’ can get VERY intense VERY fast (specially when ‘baby’ starts kicking). In cyborgs with body disguise options, the data feed from the implants may bleed over to stimulate a ‘false pregnancy’ in the disguise implants. __FORCETOC__ Category:Progen Category:Random Generator Category:Advanced Cultural Notes Category:Family Category:Shemarrian Category:NeShemar Category:Civil War